This invention relates generally to a security support in the form of an elastic strap or sling which is specifically intended for attachment to an infant feeding bottle. Such bottles usually display an open end of reduced diameter to which a nursing nipple is attachable; and, these bottles are typically made of glass or rigid plastic. Very young infants are inept in grasping and supporting an object having the size and weight of a typical nursing bottle; however, once such manipulative abilities are developed, the child is usually allowed to feed himself without help or constant attention. This mode of self-feeding may continue substantially beyond the time that the child is weaned, especially with regard to his drinking water and juices from a bottle. Accordingly, a bottle-feeding child will develop sufficient physical coordination and strength to grasp or drop his bottle as he wishes and to throw the bottle out of his crib, playpen, feeding chair, stroller or the like.
Retrieving a dropped or thrown bottle, cleaning the bottle and nipple, and restoring the bottle to the child can become a substantial chore for the child's caregiver. Should the thrown bottle break or its contents spill, the risks of bodily injury and damage to property are obvious. Moreover, a serious health hazard is encountered whenever the bottle contacts septic surfaces outside the home such as sidewalks, interior walkways in shopping malls, and floors in stores and in day care facilities and the like. In such areas, the danger of the child's exposure to disease is exacerbated by a total absence of means to sterilize a contaminated bottle, especially the nipple, or by an unavoidable inability to observe and to attend to every such episode as in a typical day care setting where many infants are fed several times a day.
One well known type of bottle supporting device commonly employed in feeding relately young infants comprises a strap or sling which is placed around the neck of the caregiver. Usually the sling carries some means for attaching the bottle to the sling; and, the sling or the attachment means may be adjustable for positioning the bottle proximate the infant's head.
U.S Pat. No. 3,065,944 issued to Liebendorfer employs a padded insulating sleeve surrounding the full length of a bottle to secure a ribbon and a pair of straps to the bottle. The ribbon is to be tied about the neck of the caregiver and the straps can be fastened together to form loops to secure the bottle to the infant or to some other object.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,144,230 issued to Brooks discloses a double D-ring connector element which is attached to a bottle by a pair of heavy rubber bands; and, the ends of a strap circling the caregiver's neck are attached to the D-ring.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,197,099 issued to Doba shows a deformable plastic strip having one end looped about the caregiver's neck and the other end formed in a coil for gripping a bottle.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,332,563 issued to Reshan illustrates a metallic clamp secured to the neck of a nursing bottle. Special linkage means, including a swivel and a snap connector, are employed to attach the clamp to an adjustable strap about the caregiver's neck so that the bottle will normally hang in a generally upright position thereby minimizing leakage through a perforated nipple.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,362,020 issued to Morrow does not employ a strap about the caregiver's neck as do the above described prior art bottle supports. Instead, a cloth sleeve fixed around the bottle by snap fasteners has pairs of support straps attached at its opposite ends; and, the straps are tied to structural elements of the basket or crib in which the infant lies. The position and angle of the bottle may be adjusted by lengthening or shortening the support straps.
While each of the abovementioned prior art bottle supports are practical when employed to assist in feeding very young infants, all of these supports appear to be unsuitable, perhaps hazardous, if an older, self-feeding child were left unattended in the presence of such supports. For example, all of these supports utilize straps, ribbons or other flexible members of considerable length so that an older, more active child could become entangled in the same and be choked or strangled. Moreover, most of these prior art supports include buttons, snaps, threaded fasteners, swivels or other metallic items which a curious child might detach and swallow or which could cut or scrape the child. Furthermore, each of these supports requires some sort of relatively complex and costly means for attaching the disclosed strap to a bottle.
An even more objectionable type of bottle support is typified by the disclosures of U.S. Pat. Nos. 784,914; 853,362; and 3,543,976 issued respectively to Boyle, Hodson and Ronald because each of these proposes that a strap or cord attached to a bottle be intentionally placed around the child's neck.
Boyle shows a leather or rubber bag in which a bottle is secured by a strap having one end sewn to the bag and the other end looped about the neck of the bottle. A neck cord having ends secured to opposite sides of the bag is placed about the baby's neck.
Hodson discloses a spring clip made of a wire loop which is bent around the neck of a bottle and takes the shape of a horseshoe. A cord passes through the adjacent ends of the wire loop and is secured thereto by a slip knot. The cord is then place around the neck or waist of the child.
Ronald states that an object of his invention is to provide a flexible strap with one end adjustable to grip the neck of a nursing bottle and the other end adjustable to pass around the infant's neck and be pivotably connected to the bottle by a spring snap.
Obviously, the neck-embracing supports of Boyle, Hodson and Ronald are abhorrent from the standpoint of infant security. While Hodson's wire clip provides a very simple means for attaching his support to a bottle, the ease with which a curious child could detach and swallow such a clip produces yet another serious hazard. Both Boyle and Ronald suggest complicated and expensive bottle attachment means as did the firstdescribed group of prior art supports.
Another approach to suppporting the feeding bottle of an older, active child is disclosed in U.S Pat. Nos. 4,564,957 and 4,096,977 issued to Scharf and to Barville, respectively. According to Scharf, a specialized vest is worn when the child is given a bottle for self feeding. A tight fitting sleeve surrounds the bottle and a pair of straps connect the sleeve to the shoulder areas of the vest whereby the bottle is susspended in front of the chest area. Additionally, the bottle surrounding sleeve may be detachably secured to the front of the vest by various forms of VELCRO.sup.R fasteners. Although Scharf's security garment provides dual means for securing the bottle sleeve to the garment and it is unlikely that the child could detach the bottle and drop or throw it, Scharf's attempt to solve the long-standing problem addressed by the present invention still retains the basic defects of the other prior art devices discussed above. Namely, Scharf's straps and a connected portion of the vest which extends back of the child's neck could become wrapped about his neck or caught on some protuding structure with tragic results. Furthermore, the cost and complexity of a special garment having utility only for this single purpose appear to be unwarranted.
The Barville device is functionally similar to the Scharf garment in that it employs a crossover type of harness worn about the waist and shoulders with means for securing a bottle to the front of the harness. Since the Barville device employs straps and bands about the upper torso of the child, it too is believed to be unacceptably and unnecessarily dangerous. Moreover, Barville specifies a compressible rubber ring insertable through an eyehole in a strap at the harness front for attachment to the neck of a bottle to support the latter. This arrangement raises the possibility that a child possessing sufficient manipulative skills could separate the ring from the harness and swallow the same.